About 10cc
10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians — Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme — who had written and recorded together since 1968. All four members contributed to songwriting, working together in various permutations. Godley and Creme’s songwriting has been described as being inspired by art and cinema. Every member of 10cc was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. Most of the band's records were recorded at their own Strawberry Studios in Stockport and Strawberry Studios in Dorking, with most of those engineered by Stewart.
From 1972 to 1978, 10cc had five consecutive UK top-ten albums: Sheet Music , The Original Soundtrack , How Dare You! , Deceptive Bends and Bloody Tourists . 10cc also had twelve singles reach the UK Top 40, three of which were the chart-toppers "Rubber Bullets" , "I'm Not in Love" and "Dreadlock Holiday" . "I'm Not in Love" was their breakthrough worldwide hit, and is known for its innovative backing track.
In 1976, Godley and Creme quit the band to concentrate on developing an electronic music device, "The Gizmo", and getting into video production and music as Godley & Creme. Stewart left the band in 1995. Since 1999, Gouldman has led a touring version of 10cc.
Three of the founding members of 10cc were childhood friends in the Manchester area. As boys, Godley and Creme knew each other; Gouldman and Godley attended the same secondary school, and their musical enthusiasm led to their playing at the local Jewish Lads' Brigade.
Their first recorded collaboration was in 1964, when Gouldman's band The Whirlwinds recorded the Lol Creme composition "Baby Not Like You", as the B-side of their only single, "Look At Me". The Whirlwinds then changed members and name, becoming The Mockingbirds . The Mockingbirds recorded five singles in 1965–66 without any success, before dissolving. The guitarist in both The Whirlwinds and The Mockingbirds was Stephen Jacobson, brother of well-known writer Howard Jacobson.
In June 1967, Godley and Creme reunited and recorded a solitary single under the name "The Yellow Bellow Room Boom". In 1969, Gouldman took them to a Marmalade Records recording session. The boss, Giorgio Gomelsky, was impressed with Godley's falsetto voice and offered them a recording contract. In September 1969, Godley & Creme recorded some basic tracks at Strawberry Studios, with Stewart on guitar and Gouldman on bass. The song, "I'm Beside Myself" b/w "Animal Song", was issued as a single, credited to Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon.
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